


Red Lipstick

by tarnishedpeonies



Series: Will Write Trailbreaker For Free [4]
Category: Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers Generation One
Genre: Flirting With Lipstick, Gen, Getting to Know Each Other, Give Him Your Number
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-16
Updated: 2021-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-25 01:42:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,390
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30081567
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tarnishedpeonies/pseuds/tarnishedpeonies
Summary: Humans make the strangest attempts at contact. Sometimes, it works.[Trailbreaker Week Day 2: Magentic]
Series: Will Write Trailbreaker For Free [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2164989
Comments: 2
Kudos: 16
Collections: Trailbreaker Week 2021





	1. Chapter 1

It started before his next shift. A snicker. A cut-off laugh. Someone clearing their vocalizer to re-set. He didn’t process it at first: he was on his way to duty after all, and his duty partner didn’t say anything the whole night. If there’d been something wrong or weird, Mirage _should_ have piped up. Right?

The laughter didn’t stop though. Trailbreaker gave it a day, in case it was a base-wide prank someone was pulling. Then he went to Ratchet, who always kept an even processor and an up-beat attitude. He could be trusted to tell Breaker if something was wrong. Or worse, if Trailbreaker was being paranoid. It had to be Ratchet, since they didn’t have a therapist.

After a basic systems check, Ratchet stood by the medical berth and ran through the numbers on his data pad. “Aside from being low on fuel, which is never a surprise from you,” the medic sniped once, “you’re normal and healthy. What’s the problem? Have you noticed something?”

“Hearing,” Breaker admitted, sitting up a little more to lean on his legs. “See, the other day when I was walking around mechs just started snickering and laughing at me, and I’m not sure why. Or if they even _are_ laughing at me,” Trailbreaker tacked on quickly, “but I get the distinct feeling they are. It doesn’t start until they notice me there, and see me. They don’t do it to my face though, they wait until I’m not facing them and - maybe they think I can’t hear them,” he shrugged.

Rubbing his chin, Ratchet hummed. “Well it’s not exactly damning evidence, but if it’s happened more than once?”

Nodding, Trailbreaker started fiddling his thumbs. “I gave it a day. Just to make sure I wasn’t overreacting or being too sensitive. I thought it might be a prank and if I ignored it, it’d stop since I wasn’t being any fun,” he shrugged. “It didn’t though.”

Ratchet nodded, reaching to unplug the diagnostic machines from Breaker. “Well, get off the table and let me take a look at you. See if there’s anything worth laughing at,” he offered a hand down and looked at Trailbreaker where he stood. Then tilted his helmet. “Trailbreaker, I need you to turn around. Preferably slowly,” he prodded.

“Oh, sorry,” Trailbreaker choked off a laugh, before turning slowly, raising his arms to give Ratchet a better view of everything. A number of assessing noises sounded off behind him, before he heard an _ah-ha_. “What? What is it?”

“Hold still,” Ratchet commanded, and Trailbreaker complied. “Gotta get a picture first and - okay. Now, I’m just going to buff the area to get rid of the,” Breaker jumped when he felt Ratchet’s touch directly on his aft. “Sorry, I’m going to apply this buffer to your aft, to get rid of the mark. Okay, there, you should be good to go,” Ratchet stood back up with a grin. “Where were you before the snickering started anyways?”

Trailbreaker had to give that some thought, rubbing his chest plate absently as he turned to face Ratchet. “Hound and I went on some local off-roading trails. Why? What was it?” Ratchet turned his data pad around to show Breaker what the mark was, and all the mech could do was stare. Despite the bright red smudge, a clear name and a series of digits had been written on his panel. “Is that -”

“Yep,” Ratchet laughed. “Whoever ‘Madison’ is really likes the look of your aft my friend. You should call her,” he offered, tapping a few buttons to send the image over to Breaker directly.

The memory of that day shifted for Trailbreaker, providing clarity: going to the trail and having to park at the trail head while they made sure things were clear for them to go. The human who had paused behind him for a minute. Breaker hadn’t felt her do anything and he sure didn’t feel her write her name and number on the panel that ended up being his aft! It had to be chance, there was no way she could have known. Right? “Nah, she probably thinks I’m just a vehicle and whoever owns me might be…attractive,” he finally supplemented.

Ratchet shrugged. “So surprise her. Should be fun. I’d love to see another human woman out here anyways, and the public relations couldn’t hurt. We’re not getting off Earth anytime soon, someone should start us in the right direction.” And Ratchet thought that mech should be Trailbreaker. Incredible. “Or don’t call her, and wonder forever what could have been,” Ratchet smiled. “Either way, I have my next appointment, so unless you’ve got more questions?”

“I’m good,” Breaker fumbled the words, before shaking his helmet. “Thanks Ratchet.”


	2. Chapter 2

The laughter had stopped, but the anxiety and pressure got worse. Hound finally talked him into calling Madison, which had been an ordeal on its own since the Ark didn’t actually have a phone. Wheeljack enjoyed the challenge of figuring out how to tap into the local phone network though, and recruited the help of a few other mechs to make it happen. It’d served to deepen Trailbreaker’s embarrassment before Wheeljack pointed out they _should_ have a phone line anyways, if they were going to be stuck on Earth for any length of time.

He had a point, and nothing exploded. Which didn’t make Breaker’s anxiety better.

The call itself had gone - well, Trailbreaker would say. Was he awkward? Yes. Were the other mechs listening in? Also yes, which didn’t help. Nothing deterred Madison, who agreed to meet him at the same trail head the next day.

It explained why he couldn’t fall into recharge that night. Trailbreaker thought about getting a polish, but Mirage (who claimed not to notice the lipstick on his aft when asked) encouraged him to be himself. Breaker understood the point was to meet her alone, and still wished he could have brought someone with him. Didn’t humans do things like that? Double dates? He thought he overheard Spike talking about it, but maybe it didn’t work that way when humans were trying to date out of their species. Which was another wild thought that left Trailbreaker’s processor spinning out of control and recharge impossible.

Trailbreaker was early, but he parked, and waited, all while trying to remember everything he’d seen about humans and - realizing they didn’t date outside their species. Well. Okay, there was that Astoria Carlton-Ritz woman who kept sending Powerglide premium oil and WD-40 which, while thoughtful, wasn’t what the flier needed. Breaker chuckled to himself before a voice cut through the sound.

“Hey, Trailbreaker!”

Nearly startled out of his alt mode, Breaker saw the woman in front of him grinning, decked out in gear he frequently saw hikers going down the other trails wearing. “Oh, hey, I uh - Madison,” he concluded.

She laughed. That was good, right? “Good to meet you. Do you have to stay in your vehicle mode the whole time?”

“Yeah we try to not to make a big scene, or scare people,” Trailbreaker answered, before realizing he’d never told Madison what he was, half out of worry and half thinking Ratchet was right: it could be a fun surprise! “Wait, who told you?”

“The news,” she grinned. “I saw you on a few broadcasts, and you sounded nice. I thought I’d leave my number and see.”

Rolling back and forth on his wheels a moment, Breaker considered the words, her meaning. “See what, exactly?”

Madison shrugged. “About you. Get to know you better, you know? See if you’re as magnetic in person as you come across on television. That’s what humans do on Earth when they give each other a way to contact them, they’re getting to know each other better, to see if they like each other.” She paused and tilted her head. “Is that all right with you, Trailbreaker? If you’re not interested, you just have to say so.”

The choice created a lack of pressure, and somehow that made it easier to think. His anxiety didn’t disappear, but it became bearable. Trailbreaker made a decision, opened one of his doors. “I can’t transform here, but would it be okay if we went on an off-roading trail together? And then we’ll - we’ll see,” he smiled through his vocalizer. He couldn’t wait to tell Hound about _this_.


End file.
